1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system and method for enhancing media content, and preferably for enhancing existing media content, by providing users with access to large quantities of additional materials that relate to a specific media selection without requiring special encoding and/or modification of the media selection, but which can still be precisely related to specific parts of the media selection.
2. Description of the Related Art
There are presently a variety of different technologies available to deliver media selections, such as audio, video, audio/video, etc. to users in an effective and beneficial format. Moreover, there is a substantial volume of material available over computerized networks, such as the Internet, which may or may not be related to specific media selections. Unfortunately, although a user may independently seek out additional materials and information associated with a specific media selection, presently no specific and effective facility exists for effectively enhancing a media selection with quantities of additional materials, without requiring separate independent machinery and separate and independent programming on the medium itself. Indeed, such is especially the case with regard to the large amounts of media already distributed and in use by the public.
Recent technological advances have made significant strides in what may be termed, enhanced DVDs or similarly enhanced media delivery products including CD-ROMs, hard drives, digital storage devices, and the like. These existing enhancements include the embedding and/or programming of additional content onto a specific media storage medium, such as the DVD, for effective communication to the user. As a result merchants are able to sell these various media selections while promoting substantial enhancements, which can expand the markability of a product which may or may not have already been viewed and/or heard by the consumer at a previous time. To this end, enhanced media players are also being developed continuously to take advantage of these enhanced media selections and avoid the need to use personal computers. Specifically, these media players may include Internet connectivity and/or a variety of other features that may previously have only been available on specific computer processors which also had media delivery capabilities. While such existing technologies are effective and beneficial for the purposes of enhancing new releases and publications of various types of media selections, as indicated they are generally incapable of providing any enhancement capability whatsoever to already distributed media selections and/or live or remotely delivered media selections, such as through a cable or satellite system. Moreover, the enhancement provided with existing technology can become somewhat stagnant since the available additional materials and type of interaction or enhancement must be pre-programmed onto the storage medium, and thereby are permanently set. Also, typical enhancements available with present technologies are often provided in the form of add-ons which are available and accessible separate and apart from the delivery of the actual media selection itself such that there is no true, direct interactivity with the actual media selection being delivered, but rather later, separate opportunities for independent access and/or retrieval of additional materials are provided.
As such, it would be highly beneficial to provide a media enhancement system and method which is capable of direct, contemporaneous enhancement of a media selection being delivered so as to achieve true interactivity between a user and the media selection being delivered. Furthermore, such a system and method should be capable of continuous updating and/or modification by a controlling entity so as to continuously refresh and make attractive the delivery of a particular media selection, and/or tailor the type of enhancement to its audience. Moreover, such a system and method should be capable of being effectively utilized to its full capacity with any media selection, whether it is being delivered live, being delivered from a remote location, or being delivered via a local and/or removable storage medium that has been newly programmed or was pre-programmed and distributed before the availability of such technology. As a result, the enhancement capabilities would not be limited only to new releases of media selections.